BC Ferries annual vessel maintenance season is well underway and the company is poised to spend $ 57 million in British Columbia with various marine service suppliers to support its fleet during the current refit cycle this fiscal year. Over the past decade, BC Ferries spent more than $1 billion at British Columbia shipyards, equivalent to the value of building 10 new ships.
BC Ferries sources local suppliers to complete necessary upgrades on its fleet of 36 vessels including repairs, dry -docking, and life extension projects. Shipyards including Vancouver Drydock (Seaspan), Point Hope Shipyard, Esquimalt Drydock, Esquimalt Graving Dock and Allied Shipbuilders as well as BC Ferries own shipyard, the Fleet Maintenance Unit (FMU) in Richmond, BC have all completed work for the ferry company.
BC Ferries is a significant contributor to the BC economy. Including the refit work, the company spends $200 million annually on ships, terminals and information technology infrastructure in British Columbia and generates $100 million in annual government tax revenue. This is in on top of the $4.4 billion in payroll and $1.4 billion in fuel procurement since 2003.